Ginger¹ is a spicy and tangy root originating from China. It is considered to be one of the healthiest foods, with many people praising its healing benefits. We classify it as a herb.
This spicy herb is native to Asia and has first been imported by Romans in the 16th century. The ginger we find in the shops today is most likely to be grown in Jamaica.
Many people consider ginger as one of the superfoods. Its exceptional qualities had been discovered in ancient China, where it was commonly used by natural healers.
1. Ginger helps with nausea & motion sickness.
Motion sickness, also known as kinetosis and travel sickness, is a condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system’s sense of movement. Depending on the cause, it can also be referred to as seasickness, car sickness, simulator sickness, or airsickness.
Researchers found that people who reported seasickness, once given a small amount of ginger, showed signs of improvement, and on a much bigger scale than participants who were offered a placebo.
Patients undertaking a major surgery are likely to suffer from nausea in the 24 hour period right after the operation. Medical studies, however, discovered that once a patient receives 1 gram of fresh ginger an hour prior to the surgery, the vomiting and sickness drop by 38%. A similarly positive effect has been observed in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
2. Ginger can help with your digestion.
This spicy herb is recognized to stimulate saliva and respectively speed up metabolism. Your food will likely to be processed faster if you have enhanced your meal with a bit of ginger. Studies show that this herb can also treat indigestion.
Dyspepsia, as known in medical circles, is typical to cause pain and irritation right after a meal. It is initiated by a low fiber diet; the condition means that the food doesn’t move freely through our system, being held up by lack of working digestive juices.
Fresh ginger, as a sharp and citrusy herb, increases the juices to show up and do what they’re supposed to do. According to the research of Ming-Luen Hu and his team, the rooted herb
successfully accelerated the digestion among the 12 participants to a speedy 12 minutes (while the same process, when not supported by an herb usually takes 16 minutes).
3. Ginger can help you with your woes with diabetes.
In a report published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, it was shown that when 2 grams of ginger is given to 41 diabetics every day over a period of 12 weeks, it can reduce their fasting blood sugar level by 12%.
That is explained by Dr. Joseph Mercola, who states in this review, that zesty herb is powerful enough to regulate the insulin levels and distribute it through the body, effectively bringing relief to all suffering from low blood sugar.
4. Ginger can fight inflammation.
This condition is linked to other more serious complaints, with arthritis being one of them. By having anti-inflammatory potential, ginger is widely recommended to treat those illnesses. Moreover, the plant has already been used in traditional Chinese medicine to deal with inflammation.
5. Ginger is a great remedy for migraines.
This is good news for any person frequented by migraines. According to an experiment published by US National Library of Medicine, ginger proved to be as effective as prescribed migraine tablets.
One hundred participants who were complaining about lingering pain were divided into two groups, with one being given ginger powder while the other a migraine drug. After two hours both groups confirmed the ease of headache, with comparable results. It clearly shows us that ginger can effectively treat migraine just as well as a medicine, yet without triggering any side effects.
6. Ginger can also be an osteoarthritis remedy.
This common problem affects many people, and it involves inflammation of the joints leading to stiffness and pain. A study conducted at the University of Miami, FL, revealed that patients suffering from osteoarthritis once prescribed a ginger extract, required fewer pain killers to ease the suffering.
7. Ginger can prevent Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s, a disorder connected indirectly to the inflammation of the nerve cells, is caused by brain damage and leads to dementia. Ginger, being rich in antioxidants, the element delaying our aging process, has anti-inflammatory characteristics which could potentially prevent damage to nerve cells.
The studies are currently verifying if ginger could in fact reverse the damage caused by Alzheimer’s, while the preliminary studies show promising results, the evidence is still too sparse to be 100% sure.
8. Ginger is good for your colon.
Cancer Prevention Research magazine published a report that Colon cancer patients showed signs of improvement after only a month of being given ginger root supplements. The tablets have effectively diminished inflammation caused by the illness delivering promising results.
Furthermore, the US National Library of Medicine revealed that anti-inflammatory agents (such as Aspirin, ginger, and appropriate drugs) can prevent colon cancer growth. The statement was supported by an experiment involving 30 individuals, each consuming 2 grams of ginger extract per day. The final result confirmed that the herbal medication successfully reduced inflammation of colon cancer.
9. Ginger and Infections.
Ginger, when served with lemon in a cup of hot water (or herbal tea), will get you working up this sweat. This way you are pushing away the bad bacteria out of your system and essentially fighting off infections.
When not bedridden, you can still enjoy the benefits of this tangy herb in several dishes and drinks, while building up your resistance against any future illnesses.
10. Ginger can help you with your swollen muscles.
If you love working out regularly, you are familiar with this condition. Muscles are sore the next day, and you can hardly move. How can you make it go away? In my school days, we were often told after P.E. lessons to drink calcium water at home (water mixed with the calcium powder), which seemed to ease the pain. It’s because calcium is packed with anti-inflammatory elements.
As we already discovered, so is ginger. Therefore, it’s advised to introduce it to our everyday diet in order to reduce muscle pain. But be aware that it won’t happen overnight, it’s a long process, as proved by this research. Allow at least 11 days and eat 2 grams of ginger during each of those to enjoy comparable results.
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